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I recently spent a week on private property near
Bourke NSW.
I dont see too many Major Mitchell Cockatoos here
in Warwick QLD so I was comfortable with "wasting" part of an afternoon
observing a group of 11 feeding on the ground.
They were feeding by picking up the trefoil burrs
with their beaks, then transferring the burr to their claw so they could then
pull the spiral burr apart to get at the seeds. Without variation, each one held
the burr in its left claw.
For about an hour I observed them and I saw no
evidence of right handedness in any of the birds.
Are they natural lefties or could they be a family
group where the technique is passed from one generstion to the
next?
Any comments?
Chris Armstrong
QLD
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